Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fortaleza and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $749 a month against $937 in Fortaleza, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Fortaleza
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Fortaleza Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Fortaleza

🇧🇷 Brazil

$937

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fortaleza and in San Juan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Fortaleza and in San Juan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $937 per month in Fortaleza vs $749 in San Juan, rent included.

Fortaleza $937
San Juan $749

A couple spends around $1,410 per month in Fortaleza vs $1,101 in San Juan, rent included.

Fortaleza $1,410
San Juan $1,101

A family of three spends $1,883 per month in Fortaleza vs $1,452 in San Juan, rent included.

Fortaleza $1,883
San Juan $1,452

Fortaleza costs about 25% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Fortaleza and San Juan are more affordable than the global median – Fortaleza 31% lower, San Juan 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.13 R$31.05

$4.05 ₱255

51.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.65 R$155

$16.88 ₱1,063

81.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 R$41.78

$2.82 ₱177

192.20%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R$11.84

$2.76 ₱174

-15.58%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 R$6.06

$0.66 ₱41.30

81.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.42

$0.31 ₱19.48

116.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 R$11.01

$1.07 ₱67.2

102.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 R$20.83

$1.56 ₱98.5

163.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.02

$1.69 ₱107

-29.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 R$10.12

$1.12 ₱70.5

78.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.07

$0.84 ₱52.7

42.86%

Eggs

$1.78 R$9.02

$1.82 ₱114

-2.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.72 R$39.11

$5.24 ₱330

47.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 R$21.41

$3.46 ₱218

21.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 R$47.20

$7.21 ₱454

29.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 R$14.99

$2.32 ₱146

27.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$1.36 ₱85.9

2.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 R$3.94

$2.33 ₱147

-66.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.04

$1.06 ₱66.8

67.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 R$6.66

$1.69 ₱107

-22.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.44

$1.74 ₱109

-38.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 R$5.29

$0.67 ₱42.17

55.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 R$5.18

$0.97 ₱61.3

5.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 R$10.86

$2.71 ₱171

-21.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.09 R$35.95

$7.79 ₱490

-8.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 R$7.94

$0.92 ₱58.0

70.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 R$8.45

$1.84 ₱116

-9.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.05

$0.26 ₱16.26

284.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.27 R$103

$12.14 ₱764

66.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 R$7.17

$0.79 ₱49.71

78.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 R$3.91

$0.23 ₱14.52

234.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 R$39.06

$1.95 ₱123

294.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.24 ₱77.8

4.03%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.1K R$122.0K

$21.0K ₱1.3M

14.70%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.2K R$163.4K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

70.03%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$126 R$640

$141 ₱8,877

-10.45%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.73 R$54.4

$14.25 ₱897

-24.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.15 R$107

$24.38 ₱1,535

-13.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.39 R$134

$30.07 ₱1,893

-12.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.67 R$221

$4.41 ₱278

890.25%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 R$29.70

$5.07 ₱319

15.58%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$209 R$1,060

$74.3 ₱4,677

181.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,971 R$20.1K

$2,556 ₱160.9K

55.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$339

$29.32 ₱1,846

128.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.2 R$310

$19.71 ₱1,241

210.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 R$648

$72.1 ₱4,539

77.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$56.8 ₱3,573

21.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 R$2,208

$303 ₱19.1K

43.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 R$1,207

$173 ₱10.9K

37.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 R$2,956

$515 ₱32.4K

13.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 R$1,756

$302 ₱19.0K

14.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,734 R$13.9K

$2,681 ₱168.8K

1.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,182 R$5,992

$1,115 ₱70.2K

6.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$489 R$2,477

$243 ₱15.3K

100.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

6.75

68.59%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Fortaleza: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Fortaleza

$238 25.4%

San Juan

$173 23.1% 27.2% $65

Groceries & Markets

Fortaleza

$199 21.2%

San Juan

$175 23.3% 12.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fortaleza

$158 16.9%

San Juan

$180 24% 13.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Fortaleza

$146 15.6%

San Juan

$80 10.7% 45.2% $66

Eating Out

Fortaleza

$128 13.7%

San Juan

$86 11.5% 32.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Fortaleza

$38 4.1%

San Juan

$40 5.4% 5.5% $2.1

Getting Around

Fortaleza

$30 3.2%

San Juan

$15 2% 48.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $436 in Fortaleza versus $303 in San Juan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 101% higher in Fortaleza, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Fortaleza versus $17.00 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $175 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Fortaleza

🇵🇭 San Juan

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

15:55 3:55 PM

11 h ahead of Fortaleza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,428,708

126,347

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fortaleza San Juan 17,470 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Fortaleza
San Juan

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Fortaleza vs San Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fortaleza costs about 25% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,406 per month in Fortaleza and $1,124 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Fortaleza and $17.00 in San Juan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $937 in Fortaleza and $749 in San Juan. That's a gap of about 25%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan, where all-in costs run around $749, than in Fortaleza at $937. In San Juan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fortaleza it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Juan costs $749 versus $937 in Fortaleza. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with San Juan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fortaleza makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.